Method and system for controlling ultrasound scanning sequence

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, wherein the detection ratio P is obtained by the following equation: P=ƒr'/ƒr where fr is a frequency corresponding to a transmission interval of the ultrasound beams in the same direction and fr' is the frequency corresponding to the generation interval of ultrasound pulse.

Claim 4

A method as in claim 1, wherein said controlling step includes the steps of, in sequence: (a) commanding transmitting an ultrasound beam to the subject in a first direction; (b) commanding transmitting ultrasound beams to the subject in .Iadd.a number of .Iaddend.additional directions, .[.including a second direction through a direction having a number.]. .Iadd.whereby a total number of said number of additional directions and said first direction is .Iaddend.equal to said detection ratio; and (c) repeating said steps (a) and (b) a number of times equal to .[.said generation interval.]. .Iadd.a number of times a sample is taken in each direction.Iaddend..

Claim 10

A method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of: transmitting the ultrasound beams so as to cause echo signals to be echoed from the subject; receiving the echo signals; generating echo data corresponding to the received echo signals; storing the echo data; and reading out the stored data, corresponding to the received echo signals from each direction, at non-equal intervals..Iaddend..Iadd.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 1, wherein said controlling step comprises in sequence the steps of: (a) commanding transmitting ultrasound beams to the subject in several directions of a predetermined number of directions in an interleaved fashion, until a predetermined number of samples are taken in each direction; and (b) repeating said step (a) until the ultrasound beams are transmitted to all predetermined directions. .Iaddend..Iadd.

Claim 12

A system according to claim 7, wherein the control means controls the ultrasound scanning sequence so that the stored echo data, corresponding to the received echo signals from each direction, is read out from the storing means at non-equal intervals. .Iaddend..Iadd.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 4, wherein said control means comprises means for changing direction of the transmitted ultrasound beams in a fashion interleaved in each of several directions. .Iaddend..Iadd.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 12, wherein said output data corresponding to the received echo signals from each direction is generated at equal intervals which are larger than 1/fr', where fr' is a frequency corresponding to the generation interval of the ultrasound pulse. .Iaddend..Iadd.

Claim 17

A method according to claim 13, wherein said intervals are equal to n/fr', where n is a number of received echo signals from each direction. .Iaddend..Iadd.15. A method for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the method comprising the steps of: setting a number of ultrasound beams to be transmitted to a subject in a same direction; setting a detection ratio used for detecting a flow velocity of the subject; controlling the ultrasound scanning sequence in accordance with the number of ultrasound beams and the detection ratio, so as to increase a transmission interval of the ultrasound beams in the same direction without changing a generation period of an ultrasound pulse by commanding the transmission of ultrasound beams to the subject in a number of additional directions; transmitting the ultrasound beams so as to cause echo signals to be echoed from the subject; receiving the echo signals; generating output data corresponding to the received echo signals from each

Claim 18

direction at non-equal intervals. .Iaddend..Iadd.16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said output data corresponding to the received echo signals from each direction is generated repeatedly at a first interval (n-1)/fr' and a second interval (n+1)/fr', where fr' is a frequency corresponding to the generation period of the ultrasound pulse and n is a number of the received echo signals from each direction.

Claim 19

.Iaddend..Iadd. A system for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the system comprising: transmitting means for transmitting ultrasound beams to a subject in a number of directions in an interleaved fashion, so as to cause Doppler-shifted echo signals to be echoed from the subject; receiving means for receiving the Doppler-shifted echo signals until a predetermined number of Doppler-shifted echo signals are received from each of the several directions; generating means for generating output data corresponding to the received Doppler-shifted echo signals; and control means for controlling the transmitting means and the receiving means in accordance with the ultrasound scanning sequence, so as to generate the output data corresponding to the received Doppler-shifted

Claim 20

.Iaddend..Iadd. A system for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the system comprising: transmitting means for transmitting ultrasound beams to a subject in a number of directions in an interleaved fashion, so as to cause Doppler-shifted echo signals to be echoed from the subject; receiving means for receiving the Doppler-shifted echo signals until a predetermined number of Doppler-shifted echo signals are received from each of the several directions; generating means for generating output data corresponding to the received Doppler-shifted echo signals; and control means for controlling the transmitting means and the receiving means in accordance with the ultrasound scanning sequence, so as to generate the output data corresponding to the received Doppler-shifted

Claim 21

echo signals from each directions at equal intervals. .Iaddend..Iadd.18. A system according to claim 17, wherein said output data corresponding to the received echo signals from each direction is generated at equal intervals which are larger than 1/fr', where fr' is a frequency corresponding to the generation interval of the ultrasound pulse. .Iaddend..Iadd.19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said intervals are equal to n/fr', where n is a number of the received echo signals from each direction. .Iaddend..Iadd.20. A system for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the system comprising: transmitting means for transmitting ultrasound beams to a subject in a number of directions in an interleaved fashion, so as to cause Doppler-shifted echo signals to be echoed from the subject; receiving means for receiving the Doppler-shifted echo signals until a predetermined number of Doppler-shifted echo signals are received from each of the several directions; generating means for generating output data corresponding to the received Doppler-shifted echo signals; and control means for controlling the transmitting means and the receiving means in accordance with the ultrasound scanning sequence, so as to generate the output data corresponding to the received Doppler-shifted echo signals from each direction at non-equal intervals. .Iaddend..Iadd.21. A system according to claim 20, wherein said output data corresponding to the received echo signals from each direction is generated repeatedly at a first interval (n-1)/fr' and a second interval (n+1)/fr', where fr' is a frequency corresponding to a generation period of an ultrasound pulse and n is a number of the received echo signals from

Claim 22

each direction. .Iaddend..Iadd.22. A method for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the method comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting ultrasound beams to a subject in several directions in an interleaved fashion and receiving Doppler-shifted echo signals until a predetermined number of Doppler-shifted echo signals are received from each of the several directions; and (b) switching directions of transmission of the ultrasound beams to other several directions. .Iaddend..Iadd.23. A system for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the system comprising: transmitting means for transmitting ultrasound beams to a subject in several directions in an interleaved fashion and receiving Doppler-shifted echo signals until a predetermined number of Doppler-shifted echo signals are received from each of the several directions; and switching means for switching directions of transmission of the ultrasound beams to other several directions. .Iaddend..Iadd.24. A dual mode ultrasound imaging system having an array of acoustic transducer elements comprising: B-mode imaging means to produce an electronically scanned acoustic image of an organism under examination, said B-mode image substantially representing an intensity of echoes returned from said organism along multiple B-mode scan lines; Doppler-shifted-mode imaging means to produce an electronically scanned Doppler-shifted-mode image of said organism, said Doppler-shifted-mode image representing estimates of one of average velocity, variance, and power of moving scatters derived from Doppler-shifted echoes from said moving scatters in said organism from multiple sample volumes acquired along a direction of multiple independently propagated Doppler-shifted scan lines; and a color display monitor displaying the B-mode image as a two dimensional image with echo intensities as encoded using a first mapping function and simultaneously displaying the Doppler-shifted image as a two dimensional image using a second and distinct mapping of red, green and blue components that is spatially coordinated with said B-mode image, wherein the multiple lines of Doppler-shifted information are acquired in interleaved fashion in the Doppler-shifted-mode. .Iaddend.

Claim 23

each direction. .Iaddend..Iadd.22. A method for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the method comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting ultrasound beams to a subject in several directions in an interleaved fashion and receiving Doppler-shifted echo signals until a predetermined number of Doppler-shifted echo signals are received from each of the several directions; and (b) switching directions of transmission of the ultrasound beams to other several directions. .Iaddend..Iadd.23. A system for controlling an ultrasound scanning sequence, the system comprising: transmitting means for transmitting ultrasound beams to a subject in several directions in an interleaved fashion and receiving Doppler-shifted echo signals until a predetermined number of Doppler-shifted echo signals are received from each of the several directions; and switching means for switching directions of transmission of the ultrasound beams to other several directions. .Iaddend..Iadd.24. A dual mode ultrasound imaging system having an array of acoustic transducer elements comprising: B-mode imaging means to produce an electronically scanned acoustic image of an organism under examination, said B-mode image substantially representing an intensity of echoes returned from said organism along multiple B-mode scan lines; Doppler-shifted-mode imaging means to produce an electronically scanned Doppler-shifted-mode image of said organism, said Doppler-shifted-mode image representing estimates of one of average velocity, variance, and power of moving scatters derived from Doppler-shifted echoes from said moving scatters in said organism from multiple sample volumes acquired along a direction of multiple independently propagated Doppler-shifted scan lines; and a color display monitor displaying the B-mode image as a two dimensional image with echo intensities as encoded using a first mapping function and simultaneously displaying the Doppler-shifted image as a two dimensional image using a second and distinct mapping of red, green and blue components that is spatially coordinated with said B-mode image, wherein the multiple lines of Doppler-shifted information are acquired in interleaved fashion in the Doppler-shifted-mode. .Iaddend.